Tuesday, June 29, 2010

So for Joshua's 2nd birthday he was given this sweet little boy teddy that he loved and later had no time for. So now to give little bear a new life I revamped him... to a... her actually. Now she will be called Miss Baby Bear as Peyton says...

I made the little hat as an experiment, and while I don't like the fabric it works for the look that I am trying to pull off. I designed this hat this morning, made the pattern and peiced it together... after trying it on Miss Baby Bear and placing her in one of Peyton's old dress shirts, a string of pearls later we have the new revamped teddy....

Saturday, June 26, 2010

So I went to the fabric store yesturday and fell in love with some just truly beautiful fabrics... and because I had this little apron (and a bigger version for me in mind) I bought some. My verson is the same style only a black/yellow/white and grey fabrics... IT IS SO PRETTY! But I got the watermelon fabric and thought it would be just perfect for Peyton's Lady Lane apron....

So I took some paper, a dinner plate and a salad plate... and made a sinple pattern. I used the measuring tape for the ruffles and the neck part... and 1/2 salad plate for the watermelon pocket... 2 hours later.... DONE!

Friday, June 25, 2010

So remember those posts saying I can't sew... well I think I have been bitten by the bug cause I am going crazy over here... I bought some fabric and have not been able to leave my new Janome (thank you grandma!!! LOVE YOU) alone...

I posted awhile ago these personalized pillows... well I didn't get a pattern I just kinda made one while I go and I think it turned out alright. I of course would make more changes now that I have made one... but i think that it is good... and it is for friends of mine who just had a baby girl named Elwynn, and a personalized pillow is a must.

The kids picked out the fabric... and I put it together while Peyton had a nap. Joshua sat on the stairs and watched me... he said he loved to watch me. He made all the choices when it came to what letter got what colour. He is so very proud of our project.

Next is the aprons... then his pillow... then peyton's pillow... then Gosh there is just endless possibilities. But this pillow really is easy I made the whole thing in 2 hours (or less with juice and snack stops for Joshua.)

Hope you like it... Have a great weekend... and I will blog more on Joshua in the next few days...

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

So this year for fathers day I really wanted to make something that the kids were in and that could be featured in our new house for years to come... I had a few requirements...

1. Had to use Pictures2. Had to be Black and White3. Had to include both kids4. Had to Say "We love Daddy"5. Needed to be inexpensive.

Yeah I figured it out.... I took the kids to the park with a blank piece of cardboard, and spent about 30 minutes taking random pictures with the kids holding the cardboard. I then went home and after everyone went to bed... okay here is my secret I went onto facebook and added the pictures to the Picnik application and changed the colour pictures into black and white, then added the letters in an overlay application. I drew the heart using the mouse, I sent the pictures into Wal-mart and one hour later these adorable little pictures were ready.

I grabbed a black and white 7 photo frame and placed them in order to read : we love daddy.

Daddy loves his present!

Linking up to Crystals Craft Spot for more fathers day ideas... for next year!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Okay So I like most moms, have a pile of clean and dirty clothes in my bedroom, and a sink full of dirty dishes... even thought I clean every day... the piles never go away... unless we all leave on vacation! So I am always trying to find little and big ways to help with the cleaning and organizing of our house... I feel in the last week that I have made progress. I will post some pictures later.. but I am for the first time looking at a room that is used on a daily basis and NOT cleaning it! i bet you wanna know how I did that. We ll first take a look at this great inspiration post from Jenn at Delicious Ambiguity, she gives a great way to tackle all those jobs you hate... take a look... and I will post some pictures tomorrow!

I always find that I can't seem to get everything done that needs to in a day. I've tried making cleaning schedules but most days I don't get to everything and the house work piles up. Then I procrastinate because it just seems like there is too much on my plate and I really don't want to do it. Sound familiar? Well speed cleaning is your answer. Here's how you do it:

1. Make your bed: This always comes first.2. Get yourself ready: Get dressed, fix your hair and put your make-up on.This sounds a bit silly but trust me, you feel better when you schedule the time and get yourself ready. 3. Set the mood: Put some music on that has a good beat then light a candle with a good scent.

Now you are ready and it's time to get your clean on!

You are going to set your timer for 15 minutes and move on to each numbered task. When the timer goes off it is time to move on to the next task.

4. Kitchen: Shine your sink, fill it with hot soapy water and clean off your cupboards. DO NOT GET SIDETRACKED AND START CLEANING OUT YOUR CUPBOARDS. Empty your dishwasher and re-load it. Wipe out the microwave. When the timer goes off head to your living room.

5. Living room: Clean off the coffee tables, pick up toys or newspapers. Concentrate on one thing and get it done. This can be putting all the things that don't belong in the living room in a basket or picking up all the trash and putting it in a laundry bag. When the timer goes off head back to the kitchen.

6. Bathroom: Clean the bathroom sink, swish the toilet, pick up dirty clothes and towels and put them in the hamper. Wipe the mirrors and spray some air freshner.

7. Take a break: Walk around and look at all that you've accomplished in 45 minutes. Set the timer for another 15 minutes and grab a snack and a drink. Do whatever you want to relax. When the timer goes off you are back in work mode.

8. Repeat steps 4-7: Pick up wherever you left off. Every 45 minutes you are to take a break. Do this until you are happy with your results.

9. Floors: Sweep, then vacuum, then mop. When the timer goes off take another break.

10. Take care of it: All the items you gathered in the laundry basket can now be put away. The trash can now be thrown out. Then dirty laundry can now be washed.

The best part of this routine is that you can change it to fit your routine and even use 10 minute increments if they suit you better. If you don't get sidetracked you will be amazed at how much you can accomplish in a days time. Plus, this method works great for other things in life too-like blogging!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

It was now summer, and the days had slowed down quite a bit. Joshua had turned 3, and as Peyton was turning 1 it was time for me to head back to work. I decided to go to Penticton and visit one of my most wonderful friends Jen, and her two kids. She was 7-8 months pregnant with her 3rd baby, and her son was the same age as Joshua. Because Joshua had such a hard time with making friends I thought that it would be great for him to hang out with kids he has known since birth.

It was just Joshua, Peyton and myself travelling the 3-4 hour drive up to Penticton, and it is really a beautiful and relaxing drive... except there were forest fires and I really wanted to "stop by" and visit my aunt and cousin. They are in Kamloops, and usually it is easy if the roads aren't closed but they were so I drove 3.5 hours outta my way for lunch. But it was completely worth it because my cousin and aunt are wonderful! As well both are nurses (my aunt retired) and so they were able to see Joshua and offer any bit of input.

It was a full 8 hours or more of driving that day and while Joshua is really good in the car Peyton isn't, so when she would cry Joshua would become upset and then it would be me pulling over to try and help Peyton... it was a VERY long trip in that sense.

So we showed up at Jen's house (which is a big house on a huge property) and as it was late the kids ate a snack and went to bed. The next day Jen, her husband and mom got to really see Joshua (Jen already had seen him) but after a day I was getting the "I have no idea how you do this all day every day." I guess I never thought it was noticeable, I didn't really have any other friends that had kids so for someone else who had two typical kids Joshua wore them out. The signing, the wondering what his "AAAHHAHAHAHAHAAA" meant. If I wasn't there and Joshua wanted something he would try and communicate it but to a person who had not seen him in the last year or two it was stressful. And to boot Peyton had a ear piercing scream and she loved to let that go.

After a few days everyone had picked up some sign and the stress had lowered, and we were now leaving as it was only a two day trip. I had this whole time and the week prior been talking to people about getting a therapy dog for Joshua, I wasn't sure about it until I saw him having a little chat with the cat at Jen's (and a cat was out of the question as Chris my hubby was allergic.) So after this trip I was really sure that we should get Joshua a pet of some sort, a dog that we could take with us and would be a friend for Joshua. So we got a little Brittany who we named Copper Flash. We picked him up August long weekend, and a day later I was making dinner with Chris and Joshua looked up at us and said "hi." His first word!

About Me

{Favorite Things}
I love classical music.
I love Starbucks, and cloudy days.
I love vintage.
I love girly.
I love ruffles and frills.
I love bookstores,
I love Coco Chanel.
I love espresso.
I love names
I love accessorizing.
I love getting packages in the mail.
I love autumn, winter, and Summer.
I don't love spring.
I love my October and December.
I love to wake up to smiley faces :o)
I love vacuuming.
I love pearls.
I love pink peonies.
I LOVE coffee.
I love moms pizza
I love Christmas and think it is magical
I love fairytales and pixie dust
I love you.